Editor’s note: Why did tens of thousands of people join Islamic State? How did millions of people live under its rule? Some were attracted to its violent ideology, others the promise of an Islamic utopia. Many more were forced to stay or serve, or found it the best of bad options. In this series, VOA talks to people who experienced ISIS from the inside, with the hope of understanding how the extremists grew powerful enough hold vast swaths of Syria and Iraq for three years.

Wedded to ISIS

By Heather Murdock and Brian Williamson | VOA News

This is the story of a Syrian woman who fled Raqqa—the militants’ de-facto capital—with her husband, a former ISIS fighter. She speaks to us from a refugee camp while her husband is in prison. As she speaks, Aysha distances herself from ISIS, saying her husband quit the group before they surrendered. Her story is in many ways similar to other ISIS wives at the camp, but we cannot verify when her husband left the militant group. Her words are edited for clarity.

I taught English for seven years in Homs.

When the [civil war] began in Syria, it became as if there was no difference between life and death.

Aysha took her children and fled the battle zone, hoping to make it to Turkey. She stopped in ISIS-controlled Raqqa along the way.

In some ways, Raqqa was good because you could behave like a muslim.

You feel like you are gradually becoming a good muslim.

if you want to cover your face...

If you want to pray...

No one will even look at you.

In other parts of Syria, they don’t care. They listen to music even while the imam is saying ‘God is Great’ and the call to prayer comes from the mosques.

In Raqqa, Aysha met a man who proposed marriage shortly after they met. He was Moroccan and had moved to Syria to fight with ISIS.

When I first saw my second husband, he was playing with my kids.

He told me,

I am a single man....It would be a pleasure for me to care for you.

My husband is from a rich family in Morocco. He saw videos from friends in Raqqa, here in Syria.

The government was torturing men, women and children.

His friends said,

Come here!

Help free the people!

From the beginning, [ISIS] came and said ‘We are Muslims. We will raise the flag of Islam.’

But actually, they just killed people.

Aysha and her family escaped from Raqqa as the city fell to Syrian Kurdish forces. She told soldiers her husband quit ISIS long before they fled, but he was detained for investigation.

She was terrified because ISIS militants had told them if they surrendered to the Kurdish forces, Aysha would surely be raped. Women under ISIS were killed for any kind extramarital sex, including rape, but her husband promised he would be more 'forgiving.’

When the Kurdish forces took him away, I said,

I’m so afraid.

He said,

If anyone touches you, make sure I don’t see you again.

ISIS had threatened Aysha that if she left, SDF forces would rape her.

I told him,

I will kill myself.

and he kissed my head.

The soldiers were looking at us. They said,

Look, they love each other.

They beat him after he was arrested.

He lost everything. He lost his family.

Daesh killed many innocent people. They are now losing everything.

Just see what is happening in Raqqa. There is huge destruction and they are not victorious.

It proves ISIS is not with God.

Aysha was moved to an isolated corner of a refugee camp set aside for the wives and children of detained ISIS members where she lives safely. If her husband is ever freed, she says, she does not know where they could live in peace or find jobs after being known as an ISIS family. Her husband’s country does not want him back and her family has refused to help.

Yesterday I talked to my sister.

I said,

Hello. It’s Aysha.

She said,

Who is Aysha? Aysha is dead two months.

People say we are bitches, we are stupid women. We are just ISIS in their eyes.

But I don’t want my family. I don’t want any friends. I just want to see my husband.

I taught English for seven years in Homs.

When the [civil war] began in Syria, it became as if there was no difference between life and death.

Aysha took her children and fled the battle zone, hoping to make it to Turkey. She stopped in ISIS-controlled Raqqa along the way.

In some ways, Raqqa was good because you could behave like a muslim.

You feel like you are gradually becoming a good muslim.

if you want to cover your face...

If you want to pray...

No one will even look at you.

In other parts of Syria, they don’t care. They listen to music even while the imam is saying ‘God is Great’ and the call to prayer comes from the mosques.

In Raqqa, Aysha met a man who proposed marriage shortly after they met. He was Moroccan and had moved to Syria to fight with ISIS.

When I first saw my second husband, he was playing with my kids.

He told me,

I am a single man....It would be a pleasure for me to care for you.

My husband is from a rich family in Morocco. He saw videos from friends in Raqqa, here in Syria.

The government was torturing men, women and children.

His friends said,

Come here!

Help free the people!

From the beginning, [ISIS] came and said ‘We are Muslims. We will raise the flag of Islam.’

But actually, they just killed people.

Aysha and her family escaped from Raqqa as the city fell to Syrian Kurdish forces. She told soldiers her husband quit ISIS long before they fled, but he was detained for investigation.

She was terrified because ISIS militants had told them if they surrendered to the Kurdish forces, Aysha would surely be raped. Women under ISIS were killed for any kind extramarital sex, including rape, but her husband promised he would be more 'forgiving.’

When the Kurdish forces took him away, I said,

I’m so afraid.

He said,

If anyone touches you, make sure I don’t see you again.

ISIS had threatened Aysha that if she left, SDF forces would rape her.

I told him,

I will kill myself.

and he kissed my head.

The soldiers were looking at us. They said,

Look, they love each other.

They beat him after he was arrested.

He lost everything. He lost his family.

Daesh killed many innocent people. They are now losing everything.

Just see what is happening in Raqqa. There is huge destruction and they are not victorious.

It proves ISIS is not with God.

Aysha was moved to an isolated corner of a refugee camp set aside for the wives and children of detained ISIS members where she lives safely. If her husband is ever freed, she says, she does not know where they could live in peace or find jobs after being known as an ISIS family. Her husband’s country does not want him back and her family has refused to help.

Yesterday I talked to my sister.

I said,

Hello. It’s Aysha.

She said,

Who is Aysha? Aysha is dead two months.

People say we are bitches, we are stupid women. We are just ISIS in their eyes.

But I don’t want my family. I don’t want any friends. I just want to see my husband.

I taught English for seven years in Homs.

When the [civil war] began in Syria, it became as if there was no difference between life and death.

Aysha took her children and fled the battle zone, hoping to make it to Turkey. She stopped in ISIS-controlled Raqqa along the way.

In some ways, Raqqa was good because you could behave like a muslim.

You feel like you are gradually becoming a good muslim.

if you want to cover your face...

If you want to pray...

No one will even look at you.

In other parts of Syria, they don’t care. They listen to music even while the imam is saying ‘God is Great’ and the call to prayer comes from the mosques.

In Raqqa, Aysha met a man who proposed marriage shortly after they met. He was Moroccan and had moved to Syria to fight with ISIS.

When I first saw my second husband, he was playing with my kids.

He told me,

I am a single man....It would be a pleasure for me to care for you.

My husband is from a rich family in Morocco. He saw videos from friends in Raqqa, here in Syria.

The government was torturing men, women and children.

His friends said,

Come here!

Help free the people!

From the beginning, [ISIS] came and said ‘We are Muslims. We will raise the flag of Islam.’

But actually, they just killed people.

Aysha and her family escaped from Raqqa as the city fell to Syrian Kurdish forces. She told soldiers her husband quit ISIS long before they fled, but he was detained for investigation.

She was terrified because ISIS militants had told them if they surrendered to the Kurdish forces, Aysha would surely be raped. Women under ISIS were killed for any kind extramarital sex, including rape, but her husband promised he would be more 'forgiving.’

When the Kurdish forces took him away, I said,

I’m so afraid.

He said,

If anyone touches you, make sure I don’t see you again.

The soldiers were looking at us. They said,

I told him,

I will kill myself.

Look, they love each other.

and he kissed my head.

They beat him after he was arrested.

He lost everything. He lost his family.

Daesh killed many innocent people. They are now losing everything.

Just see what is happening in Raqqa. There is huge destruction and they are not victorious.

It proves ISIS is not with God.

Aysha was moved to an isolated corner of a refugee camp set aside for the wives and children of detained ISIS members where she lives safely. If her husband is ever freed, she says, she does not know where they could live in peace or find jobs after being known as an ISIS family. Her husband’s country does not want him back and her family has refused to help.

Yesterday I talked to my sister.

I said,

Hello. It’s Aysha.

She said,

Who is Aysha? Aysha is dead two months.

People say we are bitches, we are stupid women. We are just ISIS in their eyes.

But I don’t want my family. I don’t want any friends. I just want to see my husband.

I taught English for seven years in Homs.

When the [civil war] began in Syria, it became as if there was no difference between life and death.

Aysha took her children and fled the battle zone, hoping to make it to Turkey. She stopped in ISIS-controlled Raqqa along the way.

In some ways, Raqqa was good because you could behave like a muslim.

You feel like you are gradually becoming a good muslim.

if you want to cover your face...

If you want to pray...

No one will even look at you.

In other parts of Syria, they don’t care. They listen to music even while the imam is saying ‘God is Great’ and the call to prayer comes from the mosques.

In Raqqa, Aysha met a man who proposed marriage shortly after they met. He was Moroccan and had moved to Syria to fight with ISIS.

When I first saw my second husband, he was playing with my kids.

He told me,

I am a single man....It would be a pleasure for me to care for you.

My husband is from a rich family in Morocco. He saw videos from friends in Raqqa, here in Syria.

The government was torturing men, women and children.

His friends said,

Come here!

Help free the people!

From the beginning, [ISIS] came and said ‘We are Muslims. We will raise the flag of Islam.’

But actually, they just killed people.

Aysha and her family escaped from Raqqa as the city fell to Syrian Kurdish forces. She told soldiers her husband quit ISIS long before they fled, but he was detained for investigation.

She was terrified because ISIS militants had told them if they surrendered to the Kurdish forces, Aysha would surely be raped. Women under ISIS were killed for any kind extramarital sex, including rape, but her husband promised he would be more 'forgiving.’

When the Kurdish forces took him away, I said,

I’m so afraid.

He said,

If anyone touches you, make sure I don’t see you again.

ISIS had threatened Aysha that if she left, SDF forces would rape her.

The soldiers were looking at us. They said,

I told him,

I will kill myself.

Look, they love each other.

and he kissed my head.

They beat him after he was arrested.

He lost everything. He lost his family.

Daesh killed many innocent people. They are now losing everything.

Just see what is happening in Raqqa. There is huge destruction and they are not victorious.

It proves ISIS is not with God.

Aysha was moved to an isolated corner of a refugee camp set aside for the wives and children of detained ISIS members where she lives safely. If her husband is ever freed, she says, she does not know where they could live in peace or find jobs after being known as an ISIS family. Her husband’s country does not want him back and her family has refused to help.

Yesterday I talked to my sister.

I said,

Hello. It’s Aysha.

She said,

Who is Aysha? Aysha is dead two months.

People say we are bitches, we are stupid women. We are just ISIS in their eyes.

But I don’t want my family. I don’t want any friends. I just want to see my husband.

In the summer of 2014, Khalifa, then a 20-year-old Yazidi mother of one 3-year-old son, was kidnapped by Islamic State militants and sold as a sex slave.

About the story

Middle East correspondent Heather Murdock is an award-winning reporter currently covering the Middle East and North Africa for Voice of America. She has worked as a foreign correspondent for Bloomberg News, AP, Christian Science Monitor and others.

Brian Williamson is a designer, interactive developer and illustrator for Voice of America. He designs, illustrates, animates and writes code to tell stories.